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Private Medical Providers' Knowledge and Practices Concerning Medical Abortion in Nigeria
Author(s) -
Okonofua Friday E.,
Hammed Afolabi,
Abass Tajudeen,
Mairiga Abdulkarim Garba,
Mohammed Abubakar Bako,
Adewale Adeniyi,
Garba Danjuma
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
studies in family planning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1728-4465
pISSN - 0039-3665
DOI - 10.1111/j.1728-4465.2011.00263.x
Subject(s) - vacuum aspiration , abortion , medicine , medical abortion , misoprostol , unsafe abortion , family medicine , curettage , family planning , incomplete abortion , obstetrics , pregnancy , population , environmental health , surgery , research methodology , biology , genetics
To investigate the knowledge and practices regarding medical abortion and postabortion care in northern Nigeria among private physicians—the principal providers of such services in the area—122 doctors operating separate clinics in five states—Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, and Taraba—were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. The results showed that 22 percent of the doctors reported that they terminate unwanted pregnancies, whereas nearly all reported that they manage complications of unsafe abortion. Manual vacuum aspiration and dilatation and curettage performed singly or in combination were the most common methods of abortion and postabortion care reported by the doctors. Only one doctor reported exclusive use of medical abortion in the first trimester, and three reported its exclusive use in the second trimester. Only 35 percent of the doctors listed misoprostol as a drug that they knew could be used for abortion and postabortion care, and only 12 percent listed mifepristone. By contrast, 49 percent listed inappropriate or dangerous drugs for use in abortion provision in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. We conclude that private practitioners in northern Nigeria have limited knowledge of medical abortion and postabortion care, and that a capacity‐building program on the subject should be instituted for them.